The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Most types of transmissions include a plurality of gear arrangements, interconnecting members, shafts, and torque transmitting mechanisms among other mechanical members. The various torque transmitting mechanisms are employed to selectively transmit torque from one rotating member to another or from a rotating member to a stationary member. Typical examples of torque transmitting mechanisms may include synchronizers, dog clutches, and multiple disc clutches and brakes. A multiple disc clutch or brake, for example, may be used to connect a member of a planetary gear set such as a ring gear with the transmission housing thus changing the output of that particular planetary gear set. A synchronizer sleeve is employed to connect a gear that freely rotates on a shaft with the shaft.
While these torque transmitting mechanisms are effective they are limited in that they are only capable of connecting certain types of rotating members to others in a given amount of space. Accordingly, there is a constant need for improved torque transmitting mechanism designs that provide flexibility in selective connectivity, maintain torque capacity, and minimized volume packaging.